Modern media technologies have changed the world. The ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe has followed this change more closely than any other art institution in the world. Since its foundation, the ZKM has provided decisive impulses in the artistic exploration of new technologies. In this way, one of the most important media art collections in the world has been built up over the past 30 years. With the exhibition "The Story That Never Ends. The ZKM Collection", the ZKM is now presenting numerous highlights from this unique collection in a new exhibition. On display are works from the 1950s to the present day, including video, light and sound works, kinetic objects and computer-based interactive installations.
The history of media art from the 1950s to the present day
Electrification and digitalization have changed the world. This change has not only affected our everyday lives, but has also had an impact on artistic creation.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, artists have been using these rapidly evolving technologies to continuously expand the expressive possibilities of art: the spectrum ranges from video, light and sound artworks to motor-driven kinetic objects, computer-based interactive installations and works created with the help of artificial intelligence.
Marie-Jo Lafontaine, "Les larmes d'acier", 1987, video installation, Collection ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe Karlsruhe © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn; Photo © ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
With around 100 works, "The Story That Never Ends" traces these lines of development of the apparative arts and their opening up to the categories of space, time and movement as well as interaction and participation - from the 1950s to the present day. A selection of important key works, which represent important moments and milestones in media art, illustrate the diversity and influence of these technological developments. Marie-Jo Lafontaine's monumental video sculpture "Les larmes d'acier" (1987), in which she ironically deconstructs the complex conceptual constellations of "man, machine, power and sexuality" in a paradigmatic way, and Bill Viola's video-sound installation "Stations" (1994), which unites central aspects of his artistic work such as fundamental themes of human existence, or Jeffrey Shaw's "Virtual Sculpture" (1981), which stands for early experiments in augmented reality, form a small selection of examples here.
At the same time, the exhibition also makes the social and socio-political context in which the works were created comprehensible in order to enable conclusions and references to the pressing issues of our time: Feminist works by early (media art) pioneers, such as pezoldo (aka Friederike Pezold), Lynn Hershman Leeson, Kirsten Geisler or Rebecca Horn, are just as worthy of mention here as works that examine the effects of mass media such as television (Nam June Paik, Wolf Vostell), the connection between technology and the military, borders and surveillance or violence in digital space (Paul Garrin, Hanna Haaslahti, David Rokeby) or natural ecosystems (Justine Emard, Claudia González Godoy). Again and again, artists question the possibilities and effects of new media, rethink and reshape them, and thus create new social and cultural narratives that shape the discourse on our relationship to technology.
Bill Viola, "Stations", video-sound installation, 1994, Collection ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe Karlsruhe © ZKM | Karlsruhe
The restoration of media art
"The story that never ends" alludes not only to artistic development, but also to the challenges faced by museums that collect media art works: Technical devices are not made to last forever, data carriers disintegrate, software standards are quickly outdated and media formats are no longer readable after a few years. This means that works must be continuously monitored and technically updated by conservators. What impact does this have on art and our cultural memory? What skills do we need to develop in order to have not only a future, but also a past?
The ZKM has internationally recognized expertise in the conservation and restoration of media art. However, since this conservation and restoration work is mainly done in secret, "The Story That Never Ends" takes a radical step: the decision as to which key works from the collection will be shown in the exhibition has been entrusted to the ZKM conservators. In this way, they bring hidden treasures to light, some of which have not been visible to the public for decades due to extensive conservation measures. As the works themselves do not necessarily reveal the complexity of their technology and the challenges of their conservation, the exhibition also offers an introduction to the history of technology and conservation strategies for this type of work.
Looking from the past into the future
"The Story That Never Ends" uses the ZKM's unique collection to tell more than just the fascinating history of media art. It also highlights the fragility of our electrified and digitalized civilization. The exhibition provides an in-depth insight into the history of art and technology in the 20th and 21st centuries and shows how history sharpens our view of the present and encourages us to imagine possible futures.
April 5, 2025 to September 20, 2026
